A popular term in our education lexicon today is “achievement gap.” Believe it or not, this term was first used in the 1960s, then after 1970, it started to appear more in popular press as well. With the introduction of No Child Left Behind at the start of the millennium, it’s almost become a household phrase.

We most often hear about this achievement gap in the context of the wide test score disparity between white students and black students. A persistent achievement gap can have severe consequences for schools as well as entire communities. More importantly, although it may be an educational indicator, it takes the resources of teachers, administrators, parents, businesses, and community-based organizations to tackle this pervasive problem throughout our education system. As a naïve doctoral student several years ago, I thought that the so-called achievement gap would be eradicated by now. Each year, we learn that there is more work ahead and many bright beacons in this fight are in our communities.

Etienne LeGrand, who is the co-founder and President of the WEB DuBois Society in Atlanta joined The Education Doctor Radio show to discuss some promising initiatives she leads. My hope is that as we hear the work that’s being done in her community it will stimulate and encourage others to implement initiatives in their own community, whether they are located in Bangor, Maine, San Diego, CA or Grand Rapids, MI.

Listen to how your WEB DuBois Society is Closing Achievement Gap in Atlanta